A veteran media relations strategist reads the morning news and looks at how the stories got there, what makes them interesting and highlights the best and worst of the day.

02/14/2013

TIME on Anti-Valentine's Day Pitch

In general, I resent gimicky, holiday-driven opportunistic pitches because they almost always lead to vapid, content-free journalism.

That said, when they work, they are awesome and such is the case with this TIME story by Brad Tuttle on a couple of retail sites pitching anti-romance on Valentines day.

At the specialty resale sites NeverLikedItAnyway and ExBoyfriendJewelry, sellers are encouraged not only to get rid of gifts from their ex-lovers, but also to explain what went wrong with the relationship. “You MUST share your story,” the rules at ExBoyfriendJewelry stipulate. “We want to keep things fun and cathartic so get it off your chest and tell why you’re selling.”

Clearly, the PR teams behind these sites hit just the right notes in reaching out to Tuttle and finding an angle for the "holiday" that breaks out from the crowd with a useful, and funny, approach.

That's worth a salute on a day when every PR pro lacking imagination is jamming the media channels with same-old, same-old pitches.